North and West
by nkiwiwi
Summary: Things have fallen apart between Mr Thornton and Ms Hale. A misunderstanding of intention though a stranger may be able to mend their wounds. Reviews encourage me to write :) please enjoy!
1. World's Collide

_Disclaimer: I own and claim nothing from the BBC and it's miniseries "North and South". I just really enjoyed it want wanted to write based off the miniseries. Though not claimed_

_**** I really do appreciate reviews so if you enjoy it or even detest it please take a moment to let me know :) ***  
_

**York. Present Day.**

The sound of trainers hitting pavement gave her adrenaline as she continued running down the path. Sweat was hanging on the tips of her brow tempting to find their way into her green eyes that stayed focused on the path in front of her. Her headphones blazed music into her ears encouraging her to run further and faster. Her legs like machines took her further and further away from York even though she had every intention of turning around and only a couple of moments later she did stop.

Lost a job, far away from home and a relationship in the dust her best friend Emy had decided that the best thing for them to do was to pack their bags and buy train tickets to York leaving London behind. They both loved York and the slower pace from the bustling streets of Oxford Circus and Trafalgar Square. Taking a deep breath Ellie took in the sight she was not too far outside of York and was able to take in the town's age from where she stood. Ellie took a deep breath of air trying to push out the thoughts she had been trying to fight back. She had managed to build a nice life for herself before it was swept from under her and now she felt lost if not a little out of place in the world now. But the sight of York and the countryside eased her mind.

"I guess she was right" she muttered quietly to herself "I did need to get away".

Quickly stretching her legs she burst forward back towards to the town and was only a few meters from it before saw something that caught her eye. A path she had not seen when she left the town and now she was curious. Most likely her worst trait but still she took a sharp left onto the dirt path and continued to run. Her breathing was even. Her pace kept steady till she nearly tripped.

"What was that?!" She exclaimed out loud looking to her right but all she saw were trees.

She could have sworn she saw...

"Come on Ellie it's just trees" she told herself and continue forward, she could hear a creek in the distance and continued to run but again something caught her eye but she kept running, it was like seeing a film between the trees. A film of grave stones and a town below but before Ellie could stop the path suddenly dipped down and her feet were no longer under her.

"Oh God!" she yelled as she toppled forward, her arm cracked against a rock as she continued to roll down the hill. It felt like her body was hitting every rock and branch as for what felt like ages. She knew her knees were bloodied and she could taste blood in her mouth like rust.

Her head was spinning, her body ached and it felt like heaven when she did finally stop.

She began to have tunnel vision, she could feel the world could black. She starts to panic and tried to cry for help.

"Help" she says but it barely comes out as a whisper as a shadow looked over her and the world went black.

* * *

**Milton.**

"Just look at the state of her undress!" Fanny exclaims at the sight of the woman lying on the couch in their common room. She held a hand to her eyes "Her legs mother!"

"Oh hush Fanny" Mrs Thornton chides her daughter as she watches the doctor as he busies himself with the patient "So how is the girl?"

The doctor slowly rises, tucking his glasses back into his jacket pocket "She has a badly hurt arm and overall many cuts and bruises but she should be fine, she needs rest" he pauses "Any wonder whom she belongs to?"

Mrs Thornton quickly shakes her head "Not at all, I was just in the graveyard and saw this poor creature lying off to the side, near that small slope got some men to bring her here" she looked in distain over the woman lying there in the strangest of short britches and a shirt that left little to the imagination. Arms exposed, color bone exposed and she did not even want to start understanding the strange blue shoes this woman was wearing.

"Well as I said she needs rest" The doctor began explaining but paused at the sound of the door to the front of the house opening and slamming shut. Quick and scowling Mr Thornton appeared into the room about to undo his cravat when he spots the doctor and his family crowding around the couch. It was clear he had not had a good day, now with the mill being owned by an Ms Hale whom he had embarrassingly misunderstood at the train station the less he saw the woman the better he felt. Yet it was not every day that he came into the house to such a sight.

"What is going on?" he asks curtly, striding over to see what his family were gawking at only to quickly overt his eyes at the sight of the woman's legs exposed "Mother, what is the meaning of this?"

"She had a fall" the doctor quickly begins explaining "Your mother found her by the graveyard, perhaps you can solve our little mystery as to whom she belongs to?"

"Belongs to?" Mr Thornton repeats pausing for a moment "Ah you mean to say you believe she is someone's servant?"

"Yes" His mother gives her affirmative as one of the legs of the woman shifts slightly. Mr Thornton attempts to keep his gaze at the woman's face but it is hard to tell any of her features. Her clearly blonde hair is covered in dirt as is her face. A cut is clearly seen above her right eye and her lip as well is cut. His scowl deepens at the sight.

"What was a woman in such dress doing there?" he asks out loud only to be interrupted by the woman's soft groan with one green eye slightly opening as she attempts to roll onto her other side but is quickly stopped by the doctor kneeling down and placing an hand on her arm.

"Now , now not so fast my dear" he chides her as she tries again now with both eyes open. She tries focusing her eyes but all she could see was a spinning room, frowning she tries to will her eyes to do what she wants and stop spinning the damn room.

"Where am I?" She manages to choke out in an accent Mr Thornton nor were his family familiar with.

"Milton" Mrs Thornton answers "In the Thornton home" her tone is stern Ellie catches very quickly and even with all the pain she is in she can feel she is not exactly welcomed.

"How did I get here?"

"You fell dear girl" the man in front of her tells her, he has light wispy white hair and is peering at her through speckles. To Ellie's surprise she spots a cravat around the man's neck and never in her twenty-five years of living or even three years of living in England had she seen a man wearing a cravat.

_Must be some kind of festival_

She could see the doctor raise one finger in front of her face "Follow my finger my dear, carefully now"

The man Ellie now guessed to be a doctor was moving his finger slowly right to left which she managed to follow "well no concussion so it seems, at least not a major one"

"Wonderful, now girl" Mrs Thornton said sharply looking at Ellie who was struggling to sit up as the doctor insisted for her to stay lying down "What is your name?"

_What a battleaxe_

"Ellie" she tells the woman "Well Eloise but no one but my mom calls me that"

"Very well Eloise" Mrs Thornton continues as Ellie winces in pain as she moves her right arm a bit to quickly "Whom do you belong to?"

_Belong to?_

_My mother I suppose though unemployment seems to be my main parent at the moment _

"I am sorry...belong to?" Ellie asks as she notices a woman with fair hair frown at her.

"Yes belong! Clearly you are some kind of servant" Fanny exclaims and at that Ellie pushes herself up. She is so confused and a little frightened. She only now was able to drink in the sights around her, the furniture, the way of speaking and the clothing as well as the tall scowling man who's eyes never left her face.

"Excuse me!" Ellie began as she pushed herself onto her feet startling the doctor only to stop suddenly as she grew dizzy again and felt her knees fall from under her. She felt arms catch her and a voice saying how she needs to be put into a bed. Before everything went black all she could see were blue eyes above her, arm carrying her and being lifted off the ground.


	2. Fight or Flight

_***I really appreciate reviews, whether you like it or hate it please let me know ****_

**Chapter 2 – Fight or Flight**

Looms pull in and out within the Marlborough Mills as clouds like snow travelled about the room. Cotton fills the air and sweat clings to the workers under the careful eyes of Mr. Thornton and the ever involved Ms. Hale. It has been three months since Ms. Margaret Hale inherited the mill along with a large sum of money from her family's dear friend and god father, Mr Bell, and since then she has made her presence known by overseeing the workers who were once again at getting the mill running in the morning and working on the cotton orders. Her goal was clear, a fair work load and pay to the people she came to care for as well decided to once again have Mr. Thornton as their Master. It was strange for her to know she was the landlord of a man she could have loved and perhaps even should have and now having to share such a space and have meetings with the man sometimes made Margaret unsure if she should not simply return to London and leave it in the hands of Mr Thornton to run and watch over the mill in her stead.

But her love for the people most notably the Higgins kept her here under the falling cotton and scowling features of Mr. John Thornton. Margaret often wondered if it was possible for his scowl to grow even deeper, she could swear that in the past few months it had managed to...

Thinking these things it was as if she called for him for she could see Mr Thornton climbing the stairs onto the platform she was now gazing out onto the mill from, she assumed he planned to head back over to the office of the building where he seemed to spend much of his time. Striding Mr. Thornton approaches Margaret and stands beside her looking out as well.

"Mr. Thornton" Margaret acknowledges the man who stands head and shoulders over her, from the corner of her eye she could see his icy blue eyes were set on the mill with no intention of looking over at Ms. Hale.

" " he gruffly returns the acknowledgment

"How are the numbers ?" she asks attempting to keep her eyes off of the man "from the last time we spoke you stated that we were close to completing the back orders"

"Yes, that is the case" he curtly replies "sooner than I had expected but it seems the workers are intent on getting it done as much as we are" he states clearly imply that under the ownership of the workers gained a drive to work through her stern but nurturing ways.

"That is wonderful!" she states "and the debt with the bank?"

"Down to 200" he replies about to speak further before something catches his eye to which Margaret follows his gaze to see a briskly walking through the mill. Many of the workers look at the strong and steadfast woman from the corner of their eyes but she makes no movement to look at them. She appeared as though she was on some important mission as she set her destination as her son and once she reached him she quickly climb the stairs. Spotting Margaret she nodded at her but offered no smile.

"Hello " she said with little warmth. She had promised to watch over the woman but felt torn between the love she has for her son and the promise she made a dying woman.

"Hello Mrs Thornton" Margaret replies but before she could ask anything else Mr Thornton takes over the conversation.

"Hello Mother" He says to her "what are you doing here?"

"We have a problem John" she says to him, eyes quickly moving from Margaret back to him as his eyes narrow.

"Is it Fanny? It she alright?" his tone becoming sharp as his mother shakes her head

"No" she pauses, dropping her tone to a whisper hoping to keep what she says away from the ear of but unbeknownst to her she fails.

"It is the girl...she is missing"

* * *

Everything that could possibly be sore throbbed along her body as Ellie pushes herself into sitting position, her back ached and right arm was press to her body which she then realized was because it was within a stark white sling which hung from her equally aching neck. With effort she shoves the stiff blankets off herself to find she is no longer in her running kit.

"Where are my clothes?" she asks out loud, eyes traveling the room. Her shorts, t-shirt and bright blue trainers were nowhere to be seen "those things were expensive..."

Before she could move again she pauses and lets her eyes travel across the room again causing a lump to gather into her throat and chest to tighten. The room was not a room that she was accustom to staying in. The furniture was clearly from around the 1800's from what she could gather and looking down she could see that she was not in her own clothes causing her to wonder one thing about the scratchy white nightgown she was wearing.

_...who undressed me...?_

She quickly shook off the disturbing question and pushes herself to her feet, unsteady at first she manages to will herself to move forward. Her legs beg her to stop but the more she looked about the room the more adrenaline began to build within her. If this was a moment of fight or flight and her body is screaming flight. It was not till she looked out the window that her eyes widened.

"What the hell?" she whispers pushing aside one of the curtains which looked out onto a courtyard with men in period clothing working, carrying stiff packages and wagons filled with those packages. Woman in long dresses were also in the courtyard of dirt and brick.

_This is not real_

Ellie slaps her face, accidentally hitting the cut on her lip and cries out before changing her mind and closing her eyes, she pinches herself.

"Ouch!"

Opening her eyes she expects to be back in her hotel room in York with Emy looking at her with a puzzled look asking her what she was doing but no. Instead Ellie was faced with the same sight of period clothing and buildings. The flight kicks in at that point. Adrenaline takes over her body as Ellie begins ruffling through drawers and the wardrobe in the room trying to find her belongings but finds no trace of them, instead she finds a stiff and dark grey dress which she quickly pulls over the nightgown.

_Am I supposed to wear a corset?_

She wonders only for a moment before taking a quick look at herself in the mirror. Her long blonde hair was still there looking strangely wild, fair skin freckled with cuts and bruises could be seen on her face, neck and hands with those same light green eyes looking back at her.

_At least I recognize myself_

With that Ellie pushes open the room door and peers out. Seeing no one she quickly tip toes down the hall towards the staircase. The dress scratches her neck as she continues to make her way before reaching the staircase. There is not a sound in the house and taking it as a sign to make a break for it that is what she does. Letting her legs do what they do best even in the state they are in she lets them carry her down the steps her eyes quickly finding what appears to be a front down and rushes towards it pulling it open and finding herself letting her legs take her somewhere.

Where she was not sure, she knew she passed through the courtyard, she could feel the dirt under her feet as she vaguely realized she has no shoes on. Those legs take her through the gate which lay open as men walked in and out. Before she knew it her legs took her right and down a street but she was slowed down but the pain of her feet hitting the cobble stone so she stopped on the walk way. People are looking at her as they pass. Ellie pays no notice as she beings walking absent minded scratching the back of her neck where it itched till she caught the eye of a woman. Somewhat overweight but with a kind face, Ellie quickly makes her way over to the woman.

"Excuse me but where am I?" She asks the woman who looks at her alarmed.

"Why you are in Milton, such a strange question to ask where you are" The woman states eying Ellie "You alright?"

"Yes...yes" Ellie says and smiles at the woman before walking off, not knowing where she was going only knowing she was very much not home anymore.

* * *

The workers were used to seeing the tall and brooding frame of passing through the courtyard. He had gained their respect and want to work through the creation of the cafeteria where they would be feed at the mill though he was still understanding of the workers even they could see that Mr. Thornton had become less prompted to smile in the past months and now as he passed them with his mother at his side his handsome face was set with a unpleasant scowl as he spoke quickly with the woman at his side.

"When did she go missing?" He asks her as they pass through the gate he slips his top hat onto his head as his mother sighs.

"I do not know John, it is not my duty to watch over some strange girl" she huffs "The servant noticed the room was empty and thinks the girl disappeared about an hour ago"

"Well then we must find her" he states but before he can move his mother's hand holds him back.

"Oh John she is not our problem, perhaps she simply returned to her family or employer" she tells him but he shakes his head.

"We do not want the girl saying that we did not tend to her or watch over her as she was injured do we?" he tells her "the mill is finally on its feet and I am a Master again...I cannot lose this over some woman saying that the Thornton family was not attentive"

With that Mrs. Thornton releases her son nodding, letting the man begin walking in an attempt to find his unexpected or wanted responsibility.

_***Please review and lookout for the next chapter!***_


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